A New Born Hope
by One-Soul-Joy18
Summary: A sweet one-shot about true life during wartime, and how even out of war, there can be Love. HrD


Under a blackened sky  
  
Far beyond the glaring streetlights  
  
Sleeping on empty dreams  
  
The vultures lie in wait  
  
You lay down beside me then  
  
You were with me every waking hour  
  
So close I could feel your breath..  
  
She lay under a starless sky. Waiting. Knowing he would come. He always did. In these times of upheaval, struggling, and recuperation, he was the one constant in her life. Everywhere she went, she knew that he was with her, if not in person, then in spirit.  
She thought back to the first time he had ever talked to her, as a person, not as an enemy. His silver eyes boring holes into her own brown ones.  
"Granger," he'd said. "I just want you to know, that I never hated you. You fascinate me. And I really am sorry for your loss." Then he had hugged her.  
That had been at her parents' funeral. They'd been killed by Death Eaters.  
  
As she looked up into the black abyss of the sky, she remembered wanting to hate him so much. Not wanting to accept his apology, or his condolences. And yet, he had been so gentle, so kind. She had known, even then, that there was some form of kindness in his heart. Perhaps, some day, even love.  
Maybe that knowledge had been what caused her to give him another chance. And maybe that was the reason she didn't say no when he asked her out on a date two weeks later.  
  
When all we wanted was the dream  
  
To have and to hold that precious little thing  
  
Like every generation yields  
  
The new born hope unjaded by their years  
  
He stood at the top of the hill, watching her, as she lie there, underneath the sky, on the grass. She looked so peaceful, like an angel, really. And she was his angel. That was the miracle of it all.  
He knew he had been an ass for most of his life. He also knew how much he had hurt people in his life. It was safer that way. If you keep them on the outside, if you hurt them first, they can't hurt you. The one thing that Lucius taught him that he actually put into action. He was a hard soul to break. The walls around his heart were huge, and thick. And he had made sure to keep them that way.  
And then there she was.  
He knew, from the very first time he saw her, that she could break him, if he let her. And he wouldn't. So he'd hurt her, in as many ways has he could. Every foul name, every slight about her family, her looks, her intelligence. She was a threat. And then, that day, that day she lost her parents, and she cried. He lost all control. He knew that he could not hold the walls up anymore. After the funeral, when he took her out on those first few dates, she believed in him. She believed he could be a good person. And that was all it took for him to try. Knowing that she wanted to trust him was worth more to him than any amount of gold, or any family background.  
No one in his life had ever believed in him like she did. And that simplicity was enough. He was still sure to keep himself in check. There was only so much emotion he could deal with at a time. She was always kept at a distance from his heart. He knew he did it, but safety was a necessity. He would not be hurt. Even if it hurt more to keep her out.  
But for that time, those moments with her, her simple faith was enough for him.  
  
Pressed up against the glass  
  
I found myself wanting sympathy  
  
But to be consumed again  
  
Oh I know would be the death of me And there is a love that's inherently given  
  
A kind of blindness offered to appease  
  
And in that light of forbidden joy  
  
Oh I know I won't receive it  
  
She knew he was watching her. She could feel his very presence. He never failed her. He always came to be with her. Now.  
She did remember a very painful time in their relationship when he refused to be seen with her. When he refused to even acknowledge her. She knew now, that it was because he was so badly torn and hurt inside. But then, when he wouldn't look at her, even though they'd been dating seriously for seven months, she couldn't understand what she had done wrong.  
She had watched him close up, and keep everyone, even his closest friends, at an arms length. He became the same boy he was during school. He was snide, even cruel at times. He made her cry, and seemed to enjoy it. He'd say things like "Why should I love something like you?" and then watch as she'd fall apart.  
Later, he actually talked to her. He explained that the death of his mother had completely taken him over. And he didn't know what to do anymore. He told her that all he wanted was to be loved, to have someone feel sorry for him, but he knew that the minute he let his guard down, he'd die from the pain.  
"If all you want is to be loved," she'd said, "you just had to ask."  
When she saw him, the way he looked at her with tear-filled eyes, she began to cry as well, and she knew that there was nothing that could break what they had.  
  
When all we wanted was the dream  
  
To have and to hold that precious little thing  
  
Like every generation yields  
  
The newborn hope unjaded by their years  
  
He looked at her, waiting for her to turn and look at him. He knew she was expecting him. When she did finally turn around, their eyes met, and she smiled slowly at him. He watched her, and returned the slow, but steady smile.  
He noticed how much older than her actual 22 years she looked. He wondered if he looked older than his 23 years. He'd always been old for his year, he knew. Or maybe she'd just been young. Either way, they were about a year apart, but she never acted less than five years his senior.  
When the war had started, almost three years ago, they had both been looking for jobs in the wizarding community. It wasn't hard to decide which side they would be on. He knew he could never support anything his father believed in, and after four years of her, and her friends, Harry was an okay guy. She had always been on the side of the light, and he was more than willing to join her. The war took its toll on everybody. The two of them had been on either side of Ron Weasley when he'd been killed. Hermione fell over on top of her best friend's body, and for a moment he'd thought he'd lost her, too. Then he noticed the heaving of her shoulders as she sobbed hysterically over her friend's dead body.  
The Death Eaters, sensing her instability, moved in like birds of prey, ready to tear her apart. He had pried her away from Ron, and apparated both of them into Grimmauld Place. It had been the only safe house that the side of the light still had. He made a move to go and continue fighting when she grabbed his hand.  
"Stay," she'd said. "I need you."  
  
It was music to his ears.  
  
You know if I leave you now  
  
It doesn't mean that I love you any less  
  
It's just the state I'm in  
  
I can't be good to anyone else like this  
  
She loved the way that she felt when he smiled. He made her feel worth something. She knew that he loved her, even if he didn't say it. It was in the way he held her. The way he seemed to relish just being in her presence. It was the way he played with her hair, and told her how beautiful she was.  
Whenever she doubted his love for her, she always thought back to the many occasions that she had been undeserving of his love, and received it anyways. There was always that one time that she remembered the most clearly.  
It had been last year. They had been together for three years and then some by this time. The war had been on for two years, and had shown no signs of stopping. Ron was already dead by this time, and she was broken. She remembered so clearly the feeling of complete loss and helplessness.  
It was a Wednesday when she lost all control. By that time in the war, professor McGonagall had moved Hermione and Ginny into the recovery tents, because they were needed far more as nurses than as fighters. But caring for people and then watching them die anyways was more than she could handle. By the third week, she was ready to collapse, and had put her body and emotions on auto pilot.  
When he had walked into her tent that day, to console her, she looked at him with a hard glare and said clearly, "I will never love anyone as long as I live. Please don't ever come back here. I can't love you if you're just going to end up here to die. Go. Don't come back." And she had turned away and left him there, gazing at her in shock.  
Five or six weeks later, he had stopped trying to visit her. She had made herself unavailable to him. So, when he was the one on the stretcher in front of her, she lost all hope of ever finding true love. She cared for him day and night, not knowing what was truly wrong with him. He laid unconscious for just under a month when she came to check up on him and he was awake.  
She had thrown her arms around him, and told him that she did love him, no matter what she'd said. She told him how afraid she was of losing him, the one stable thing left in her life, and how she would rather die than be without him.  
  
Even now, looking at him, his smile brought back memories. He had told her then, that he would always be with her. And just to have him was enough.  
  
When all we wanted was the dream  
  
To have and to hold that precious little thing  
  
Like every generation yields  
  
The new born hope unjaded by their years...  
He walked down and sat next to her.  
"Hermione," he said, eyes full of emotion.  
"yes?"  
" I know I don't say it often enough, how much you bring me to life. I never tell you how just looking at you gives me a reason to live, and spending time with you makes everything in the world better. You are a constant in my life, Hermione. You are the one person who has ever been true to me, and trusted me so completely. I don't know how to thank you for believing in me. But truly, you are my life."  
She was crying by then, with tears of joy slowly trickling down her face. She put a hand on his chest, and laid her head onto his shoulder. He put his arm around her, and kissed her forehead gently. Then he continued.  
"The war is over, Hermione. It's done, and now we can live, like people our age are supposed to. We can live Hermione. And we can love. And I do love you, Hermione. More than words can express, do I love you."  
She stared at him with eyes shining bright. It was the first time he'd ever told her he loved her.  
"Hermione, I can't promise that we'll live happily ever after, but I do promise to love you until the end of time, and then some. You already have made me the happiest boyfriend alive. Now will you make me the luckiest man in the world? Hermione, will you marry me?"  
"Draco, I will."  
  
A newborn hope, unjaded by their years.. 


End file.
